Fixed drug reaction

Fixed drug reaction
Other names	Drug eruption
Fixed drug eruption caused by phenolphthalein

Fixed drug reactions are common and so named because they recur at the same site with each exposure to a particular medication. Medications inducing fixed drug eruptions are usually those taken intermittently.

Signs and symptoms

A painful and itchy reddish/purple patch of skin that occurs in the same location with repeated exposures to the causative drug is the classic presentation of a fixed drug reaction. The lips, genitals, and hands are often involved.

Cause

Medications that are commonly implicated as a cause of fixed drug eruptions include the following:

• Cetirizine
• Ciprofloxacin
• Clarithromycin
• Cotrimoxazole
• Doxycycline
• Fluconazole
• NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, etoricoxib, naproxen)
• Phenytoin
• Pseudoephedrine
• Trimethoprim

See also

• Drug eruption
• List of cutaneous conditions
• List of human leukocyte antigen alleles associated with cutaneous conditions
• Stevens–Johnson syndrome